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Stair Supplies

Stair Spindles

by Andrew Kozlov

Stair spindles, otherwise known as balusters, are vertical pins that connect handrails with the lower shelf, or "tread," of a staircase. The spindles can be either purely functional or decorative. Like the often intricately carved newel posts, spindles are usually highly stylized and distinctive. Although the spindles have a certain degree of function in the staircase in that they support the weight of the handrail, they're not designed to anchor the full balustrade in place.

If you're putting together a staircase on your own, you should remember a few things about spindles. First, your spindles need to be around 900 mm in length minimum, at least for domestic staircases. If you're building a public staircase, you may have to make your balusters even taller. You should also remember to leave no more than 99 mm between spindles. This structural requirement is designed to improve safety.

Installing Stair Spindles

A good rule of thumb when installing spindles is that you should construct your staircases so that a ball that's 100 mm in diameter won't be able to pass between your posts. When attaching spindles, you usually install the base pins first, and then overlay the handrail. You do this because, when you screw or nail in spindles first, the heads of these screws won't show through the handrail.

You should also paint or stain your balusters before installing them. If you're going to get a little fancier and carve your own balusters, make sure to do so in a systematic way, or your staircase will come out looking uneven. If you're simply going to bevel or add superficial carvings, it may be smarter to wait until after you've put on the handrail.

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